﻿96 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  The 
  Necropolis 
  culture 
  at 
  Paracas 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  subterranean 
  

   houses 
  made 
  of 
  small 
  stones 
  and 
  hand-formed 
  adobes. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  

   walls 
  are 
  from 
  12 
  to 
  15 
  inches 
  (30 
  to 
  40 
  cm.) 
  thick. 
  In 
  1925, 
  Tello 
  

   (1929) 
  extracted 
  429 
  mummy 
  bundles 
  from 
  the 
  wall-enclosed 
  ceme- 
  

   tery. 
  These 
  bundles 
  are 
  conical 
  in 
  form 
  (pi. 
  21,/) 
  and 
  many 
  are 
  of 
  

   large 
  size, 
  measuring 
  5 
  feet 
  (V/ 
  2 
  m.) 
  high, 
  by 
  5 
  feet 
  (1% 
  m.) 
  in 
  diameter. 
  

   The 
  mummy 
  bundles 
  have 
  furnished 
  many 
  textiles, 
  some 
  in 
  an 
  amaz- 
  

   ingly 
  good 
  state 
  of 
  preservation. 
  The 
  mummies 
  were 
  probably 
  artifi- 
  

   cially 
  prepared 
  before 
  wrapping, 
  at 
  least 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  removing 
  the 
  

   inner 
  body 
  organs, 
  and 
  then 
  naturally 
  desiccated 
  by 
  the 
  hot 
  cemetery 
  

   sands. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  skulls 
  are 
  trephined. 
  A 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  objects 
  

   accompany 
  the 
  burials, 
  including 
  stone 
  axes, 
  parrots, 
  monkeys, 
  llama 
  

   bones, 
  meat, 
  wool, 
  beans, 
  maize, 
  cotton, 
  and 
  peanuts. 
  Small 
  gold 
  

   ornaments 
  are 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  bundles 
  (pi. 
  19, 
  top). 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  

   bundles 
  show 
  various 
  stages 
  of 
  wrapping. 
  In 
  one, 
  four 
  distinct 
  

   stages 
  could 
  be 
  determined, 
  implying 
  that 
  the 
  wrapping 
  had 
  been 
  done 
  

   on 
  as 
  many 
  different 
  occasions. 
  Besides 
  the 
  plain 
  canvaslike 
  cloth, 
  

   there 
  are 
  also 
  large 
  decorated 
  mantles, 
  poncholike 
  shirts, 
  skirts, 
  

   breechclouts, 
  and 
  turbans. 
  Many 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  woven 
  specifically 
  for 
  

   burial 
  purposes, 
  since 
  they 
  show 
  no 
  sign 
  of 
  wear 
  and 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  fit 
  

   the 
  padded 
  bundle 
  rather 
  than 
  the 
  deceased 
  individual. 
  

  

  The 
  Necropolis 
  ceraimcs 
  (pi. 
  21, 
  a-c) 
  are, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  simple, 
  

   with 
  a 
  white 
  flaky 
  finish. 
  Their 
  shapes 
  suggest 
  Nazca, 
  but 
  their 
  

   lack 
  of 
  decoration 
  is 
  in 
  great 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  latter. 
  

  

  The 
  textile 
  art 
  presents 
  an 
  amazing 
  number 
  of 
  techniques, 
  but 
  the 
  

   over-all 
  embroidery 
  is 
  outstanding 
  (pi. 
  22). 
  Borders 
  on 
  ponchos 
  and 
  

   mantles 
  are 
  completely 
  covered 
  by 
  polychrome 
  stitching 
  and 
  large- 
  

   unit 
  elements 
  decorate 
  the 
  central 
  areas. 
  The 
  designs 
  are 
  closely 
  

   related 
  to 
  the 
  ceramic 
  decoration 
  of 
  the 
  Nazca 
  Period, 
  including 
  the 
  

   same 
  elaborate 
  anthropomorphic 
  figures. 
  

  

  Presumably, 
  the 
  Cavernas 
  culture 
  of 
  Paracas 
  is 
  older 
  than 
  the 
  Ne- 
  

   cropolis, 
  which 
  in 
  turn 
  bears 
  a 
  definite 
  resemblance 
  to 
  Nazca. 
  Author- 
  

   ities 
  are 
  not 
  agreed 
  on 
  the 
  interpretation 
  of 
  the 
  resemblances 
  and 
  

   differences 
  and 
  the 
  chronological 
  sequence 
  of 
  these 
  three 
  cultures. 
  

   Some 
  argue 
  for 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  Cavernas, 
  Necropolis, 
  and 
  Nazca. 
  

   Others 
  feel 
  that 
  the 
  Necropolis 
  textile 
  artists 
  copied 
  the 
  Nazca 
  painted 
  

   designs, 
  implying 
  contemporaneity 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  these 
  two 
  cultures. 
  

   The 
  problem 
  cannot 
  be 
  settled 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  present 
  published 
  

   evidence. 
  

  

  THE 
  EARLY 
  PERIODS: 
  CENTRAL 
  COAST 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  mentioned 
  that 
  the 
  Chavin 
  horizon 
  represents 
  

   the 
  earliest 
  material 
  yet 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Central 
  Coast 
  of 
  Peru. 
  Until 
  

   recently, 
  little 
  attention 
  had 
  been 
  paid 
  by 
  archeologists 
  to 
  materials 
  

   which 
  might 
  be 
  classified 
  as 
  Early 
  Central 
  Coast, 
  corresponding 
  in 
  

  

  